Friday

I will add some more photos and details later on this weekend.

HOMEWORK:  Study sheet for Tuesday's Math test based on pp. 27-28 of Math sheets from earlier in the week.  A sample "study sheet" was completed by me in the class.  Here is what I came up with for p. 27:

The other item of homework had the students continue to complete 5 more sentences.  This time, the sentences should be on the same topic.

In a post from a few days ago, I mentioned I was going to add the images of the other Coat of Arms for students in the class.  It seem that 2 students need to complete them.  I will add them once they are done.  In the meantime, here are the other samples from the class:

 

More information about writing CASI, our work in Drama and Guidance, and sentence structure will be added over the course of the weekend.  Enjoy your weekend.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Good morning.

 I have settled on a read-a-loud book.  It is the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  I started reading it last May but I did not get through it.  It is quite an engaging read and the students -- many of whom have seen the film -- seem to be enjoying it.  Once we finish this book, we may be able to view the film in class.

The group completed a personal Coat of Arms.  This is an exercise I have been doing for over ten years.  It is a way for the students to add a personal touch to the class.  They typically stay posted up over the course of the year.  I will make a point of taking photos of them today.  Here is a shot of samples from former students.

A collection of excellent samples of work from some of my former students.

All of the writing diagnostic work has been completed. It will NOT be graded but used as a sample of writing that will be leveled.  By this, I mean it will be compared to other samples of writing work generated by students in Grade 1 - 8 in Ontario and assigned an approximate level.  This will give me a sense of how to program for the students based on their needs.

We have started the first Math Unit. It is on Place Value.

I am mindful of how much writing the students have to do and try to limit my definitions (of Math terms) to avoid overwhelming them with too much information.  This photos is a typical sample of what they might write in the notebook.

Before the unit began, I had an exercise where the students had to do some brainstorming about large and small numbers.  Some students DID NOT complete this work and need to hand it in.  I provided an example of how they could possibly begin the work:

My modeling the work, it can provide a hook for the students to get an understanding of what is expected of them.  I am going to use a strategy I used to use in the past in Math:  I will provide the students time in class to do work so they can work with another student and ask for help.  So, when they go home with homework, it will be easier for them to do it (being familiar with the work, feeling more confident).

IT IS CRUCIAL THAT THE STUDENTS TRY TO DO THE WORK.  WITHOUT ANY EFFORT, THE WORK WILL FEEL IMPOSSIBLE TO BEGIN.  HELP WILL BE AVAILABLE!!

Old School overhead.  Until the fancy Promethean board is mastered, I may use this to work with the class!

Please check and sign the agenda on a daily basis.  If there is no homework, the students will write this in.

Have a good day.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Happy Sunday

From some of the reading I was doing, I came across a set of success attributes from a school in California that specializes in supporting students with Learning Disabilities.  I took a screen shot of the page and hope to use it during some discussions in class:

click on the image to make it larger

To be continued.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

While doing some reading, I came across some links I thought might be interesting.
http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/ct_style/overcoming-a-learning-disability#.UFVFM_Vny1z

A teenager shares some of his feelings about coping with his multiple Learning Disabilities.

This article has to do with the importance of setting goals.  As I prepare to begins writing my IEPs, I will be talking with the class about the importance of goal setting.
http://www.ldonline.org/article/21026/

The next article talks about the importance of praising children when they have done something positive which should be recognized:
http://www.additudemag.com/adhdblogs/10/8747.html

When you find yourself in constant conflict with your son or  daughter, this author of the short article suggests this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-ellison/adhd_b_837704.html

This article discusses the importance of students attending school on a regular basis.  Skipping school or avoiding school will not make any problems or challenges go away.  In fact, it may make the problems of returning to school even more challenging:
http://support.weta.org/site/R?i=xBg0tzT041JAVfUQXiWjmw

This article is probably the last I will post this evening.  It is rather late but has to do with the importance of goal setting and students taking direction and a sense of responsibility for their learning.  As I may have mentioned in an earlier blog, a goal setting exercise is on the horizon.
http://phys.org/news/2012-07-self-directed-students-goals.html

Goodnight.

Dyslexic governor brings learning disability to limelight

Dyslexic governor brings learning disability to limelight

ADHD Failure at School: What Parents, Teachers Can Do | Special Education for ADD, ADHD, and LD Students and Children - ADDitude

ADHD Failure at School: What Parents, Teachers Can Do | Special Education for ADD, ADHD, and LD Students and Children - ADDitude

How ADHD Children Can Control Emotions

How ADHD Children Can Control Emotions

Playing in the grass may ease ADHD

Playing in the grass may ease ADHD

Thursday, September 13, 2012

I am going to move a few things around on the blog, but I am posting this picture to help some of the students in the class.

Mr. P's sample sales pitch for Writing diagnostic

This short piece of descriptive writing uses some of the words from a list of Persuasive words and a sheet on food adjectives I found on the Internet.  Currently, the class is working on preparing short presentations on a food product they are creating/imagining.  Here is the list of words that I had posted on the IWD (Interactive White Board:  AKA The Promethean Board)

The purpose of this exercise is to warm them up to do the writing task tomorrow morning.  THIS WILL NOT BE GRADED but the Media and Art portion of the assignment will be.  Once we get through the writing exercise, more details will follow about the Art and Media project.

Tomorrow we will be beginning our first unit in Math.  It will be an integrated unit involving Number Sense and Measurement.  We will be looking at the concept of Place Value and Measurement as it relates to units of measure.  To intrigue the class, or so I think, I will have them watch this video to launch a conversation into numbers:

This exploration will continue tomorrow.  I am hoping we will be able to use our extra period in the Library (where the Computer Lab) to use the Internet to supplement my instruction in the class. There will be some homework tonight to have the students do some initial brainstorming on large and small numbers.

HOMEWORK:  Brainstorm in Math duotang on large and small numbers; IEP input forms were sent home today but dated from yesterday.  They need to be returned by Monday, September 17, 2012.  I forgot to send the forms with the students who take the bus.  I apologize for this.

Have a good evening.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Here is my first upload from my Promethean Board.  For those who attend Curriculum Night, you will be introduced to it.

This information comes from a document I posted last week that had to do with having an attitude of success in life.  We have gone through the first 4 points and I wanted the students to reflect a little on what they thought of the notes.  As I usually do, I wrote a model journal response so they would have a sense of what I was looking for.

For some students, the issue of making a connection to an issue of topic can be challenging.  I strongly believe that true knowledge comes when you make are able to make a personal connection to something.  You may either agree or disagree with it.  Over the course of the year I hope to direct the students towards some deeper thinking and reflection about issues we come across in class across the curriculum and write or talk about these matters.

I finished up introducing the class to the idea of doing a Community Circle.  It is a weekly exercise where the students take about two minutes to talk about something from their weekend.  Emphasis is placed on explaining the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW, and WHY.  If they can comment on how they feel, then that is a plus.  I have found that this really helps the students add more detail to their written work and developing a comfort when talking in front of a group.

Sandro concluding his Community Circle entry

This morning was a heavy morning full of rotary:  French Culture, Gym, and Music.  In addition to the Community Circle exercise, we began to work on the Writing diagnostic assignment.  While the writing portion of the exercise will not be graded, I will be looking at the Grade level the students are working at. What I will be grading is the Art and Media Literacy component of the assignment.  As more details about this emerge, I will share them with you.

The assignment, by the way, has to do with creating a new food item and marketing it to a particular audience.  To assist in this work, the students will work, initially, as a small group before developing their own ideas for the unique products they come up with.  We will be continuing on this assignment tomorrow in class.

Mr. Marles, who teaches the class Gym, also teachers Room 52 a Technology class.  They had the first one yesterday and were introduced to a site called Edmodo.  According to the website:

"Edmodo provides teachers and students a secure place to connect and collaborate, share content and educational applications, and access homework, grades, class discussions and notifications. Our goal is to help educators harness the power of social media to customize the classroom for each and every learner."

I need to open an account and will ask Mr. Marles about this.  The web address is:  http://about.edmodo.com/

HOMEWORK:  Jot notes on food product in Literacy folder, any outstanding forms or payments for a locker

John and Brian during DPA

 

Sunday, September 9, 2012

I deleted a couple of videos I was making from our exercise last week we were doing on understanding Learning Disabilities.  I set up this template for the students to work with:

I wanted the groups to come up with their own ideas and I avoided providing any information to the class.  When the groups presented,  I did ask some questions to guide their explanations a little more.
Here is the video I came up with the two groups I didn't delete from the memory card:

Here are some of the photos of the group at work on this:

After each group presented, I shared a little movie from the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario.

From the same website, I discovered another video which might be more appropriate for older students.  I will share this with the class.

For the upcoming week, I hope to wrap up the diagnostic assessment and start to work on more curriculum specific stuff.  Have a positive week.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Diagnostic assessment continues in Room 52 and will probably continue into next week.  This is a way for me to get a sense of where all of the learners are at in the classroom.  This information -- from Reading, Writing, and Math assessments -- will NOT be used for the Progress Report or Report Card but will help me in setting up the IEP (Individual Education Plans) program over the next month.

We are coming close to the end of the first 5 day cycle.  On Friday and Monday, the students would have gone to the following classes:

- Gym
- French Culture
- Technology
- Library
- International Languages class (Portuguese and Mandarin)
- Music

I have started using the Tracking Chart in the classroom.  This is a visual reminder of key assignments and items of homework that need to be handed in.  I have been using this method for over 10 years and it provides another way, besides the agenda, for students to keep track of their work.  Ideally, the agenda should be used because keeping track of assignments or "things to do" is a valuable life skill.  Here is a shot of the chart:

We got around to having the students present to the class the information gathered from the "Interview Someone New!" sheet.

While I do not have all of the Media Release forms from the students, I did snap a few photos of people presenting.

HOMEWORK:  Return all forms, pay $6 for the agenda, complete Student Profile sheet if necessary

Have a positive night. 

Tuesday, September 4, 2012: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Today was a slow but steady start to the school year.  I made a point of saying that the key to being successful in school has a lot to do with your attitude.

This is a page I want to come back to a lot over the year.  I think it is the foundation for learning before any serious curriculum content can stick.

In saying that, we did do a little work today.  In an effort to get to know the students I assigned them a journal to get to know them a little better and how they learn best.  I sometimes provide examples of the kind of writing or ideas I am looking for.  These prompts help kick-start there thinking:

Guided Writing

Journal response with prompts

Until the students sign their Media Release forms, I won't take any photos of them.  For now, I have a couple of shots of the room with some student materials in it:

We were able to get out and have some time for DPA and our afternoon break.  This is something I want to continue for this year.  It offers the class a chance to break the afternoon into two manageable work periods instead of being in the classroom for the afternoon and becoming exhausted and irritable.

I read to the class this afternoon.  A teacher read-a-loud is something I aim to do everyday.  Cursive writing will be added to this daily routine.  I do this because cursive writing seems to be a lost academic skill and art form but also with the evidence which suggests that it is beneficial for the brain:
http://www.helium.com/items/1697736-cursive-handwriting

Another exercise we did this afternoon saw the students interview someone new to get some insight into the interests of other classmates:

 Tomorrow, I will use the opportunity to introduce the Community Circle to the class members introduce who they interviewed and what they learned about them.

HOMEWORK:  Bring a reading material for quiet reading in the morning (although you could find something to read in the class); $5 for a combination lock and $6 for the agenda.  All forms should be signed and returned as soon as possible.

Have a good evening. 

Preparing Your Child for a Successful Academic Year | LD Topics | LD OnLine

Preparing Your Child for a Successful Academic Year | LD Topics | LD OnLine

Monday, September 3, 2012

Coming together

Getting ready

This will be the 18th September that I stand before a classroom and introduce myself.  Some of my students have graduated and become teachers, lawyers, pastry chefs, musicians, and body shop technicians.

Still, I feel nervous the night before and always not as prepared as I think I should be.  Like all of you, it will take a few days to settle  into the routines of the classroom.  I will be reminded of what it means to be a teacher and you will learn to get back into the habits of being a students.

I believe everyone in this class can learn but there are no shortcuts for success.  It takes hard work and effort and you will probably do things that challenge your or may not like.  Get used to it, that's a part of life.

You will be supported in this class by Mrs. Machado and myself.  Most of you will be getting ready for high school and some of you will be adjusting to life in Grade 7. 

SUCH INTERESTING TIMES.  ENJOY THE JOURNEY

Mr. Proudfoot and Mrs. Machado

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

I have one photo from the graduation.  Thanks to Sophie's Mom for sending this to me.

Continue to enjoy the summer.  Do some reading, maybe a journal response, and practice your

multiplication tables.

Jennifer's brother, Jennifer, Stavroula, Sophie [Meteorologist], Mr. Proudfoot

:)